Embodiments herein generally relate to social networking sites and more particularly relate to computerized systems and methods that automate activity postings to social networking web sites through the ordinary use of media and status capturing devices.
Documenting one's experience at an event or venue is largely self-driven even with the ubiquity of digital cameras and cell phone applications. Digital photos, video, audio and other content are typically captured and managed entirely by the patron him or herself. Although there are existing methods for automating the capturing a patron's experience content and publishing to a personalized website, the content is still confined and localized for a specific application. The reuse, repurposing, and mashing up of the patron's experience content is still a difficult and a highly manual process.
Conventionally, for one to upload picture-based activity postings to social networking web sites, the user (social networker) is required to take or record picture, audio, and/or video; save such items to a file; and then perform additional steps to upload such items to their social network pages, chat rooms, etc. During such a process, the user can also add textual remarks or tags describing such uploaded items.
It is often cumbersome and time consuming to the social networker to coalesce electronic output such as audio, video, or picture files, then to edit or annotate the content, and then upload the content to social networking web sites. Therefore, many people do not interrupt their current activities to constantly update their social networking web sites with every current activity as they visit points of interest. Also, many people only periodically update their social networking sites at certain times (such as in the evening, after recording many such pictures, video, etc., previously during the day).
The embodiments herein address such obstacles to keeping social networking sites constantly updated with a system whereby physical devices, such as beacons or kiosks, are distributed throughout a venue or event, and through the unique identification of the patron, the system then sends their experience content to a personal cloud storage space for further use by numerous applications. The cloud storage space mentioned herein could refer to cloud storage, hosted storage, or any widely accessible simple storage service. The device contains pre-specified information about its location within a venue, and provides for identification of the patron. Experience content captured by the device is posted with its context and metadata to the patron's cloud storage account. The experience content is then automatically available for other systems to use—such as a social networking sites, tracking/reporting systems, print shops, RSS feeds, etc.
The embodiments herein provide automated computerized systems and methods that automate activity postings to social networking web sites simply through the ordinary use of media and status capturing devices, such as a beacon that may contain cameras, microphones, etc. With the embodiments herein, the user (social networker) merely needs to be identified by a device with a known location and their social networking sites will automatically be updated with media content and textual descriptions of the user's location and activities, without requiring any input from the user. Further, if the device takes or records audio, video, pictures, etc., such items will also be uploaded and automated text will be appended to such items, without any additional input from the user.
One generalized embodiment herein is a computer-implemented method that identifies a current location of a user based on a known location of an electronic device when the user interacts with the electronic device. The method automatically creates a user status data file based on the known location. The user status data file contains data identifying that the user is currently at the known location. The method automatically uploads the user status data file to a social networking web site associated with the user as an activity post associated with the user.
Another, more specific embodiment maintains at least one point of interest data file within a computer-readable storage medium. The point of interest data file maintains points of interest relating to a facility (such as an amusement park, a shopping mall, a conference center, a tourist location, etc.). This embodiment uses a kiosk or other similar electronic registration device located within the facility to allow a user to register. This registration authorizes one or more additional electronic devices (beacons, or other kiosks) to interact with the user while the user is within the facility.
This method identifies the current location of the user based on a known location of one of the additional electronic devices when the user interacts with the additional electronic device, using a computerized processor that is in communication with the computer-readable storage medium, the electronic registration device, and the additional electronic device.
Further, this method automatically creates a user status data file (using the computerized processor) based on the known location and the point of interest data file, the user status data file comprises data identifying that the user is currently at a point of interest corresponding to the known location. The method can also capture (using the additional device) video, still pictures, and/or audio simultaneously while identifying the current user location. The method can also automatically add the video, still pictures, audio, etc. to the user status data file. The method then automatically uploads the user status data file to a cloud storage space accessible by a social networking web site associated with the user. The social networking web site adds the content (location, captured media, etc.) as an activity post associated with the user, using the computerized processor.
The methods herein can also maintain, within the computer-readable storage medium, at least one textual data file that contains predetermined textual descriptions of the different points of interest of the facility that can be maintained within the point of interest data file. The method can then automatically merge the predetermined textual descriptions of the points of interest with an identification of the user (using the computerized processor) to produce a unique string of text describing the user at the point of interest. The method can then automatically add the unique string of text to the user status data file.
The embodiments can also comprise a computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying instructions executable by a computer to perform the methods described herein.
A system embodiment herein is a computerized system that uses an electronic registration device operatively connected to (directly or indirectly connected to) a computerized processor. The registration device is located within the facility, and the electronic registration device receives a registration from a user. At least one additional electronic device is operatively connected to the electronic registration device and is also located within the facility. The registration authorizes the additional electronic devices to interact with the user while the user is within the facility.
The additional electronic devices identify the current location of the user based on a known location of the additional electronic device that the user interacts with. The computerized processor automatically creates a user status data file based on the known location. The user status data file contains data identifying that the user is currently at the known location. The computerized processor automatically uploads the user status data file to a social networking web site associated with the user as an activity post associated with the user.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.